


Team Wintersun

by LegolasGreenleaf



Category: Wintersun (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, RPF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-04-20 01:58:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4769288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegolasGreenleaf/pseuds/LegolasGreenleaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jari Mäenpää was a guitar teacher from Helsinki. He had a simple and a peaceful life until a dark power which he couldn't identify started to take over the whole world. There was no way he could stay out of it. He and his student Teemu Mäntysaari found themselves in a very dangerous game. And they knew their lives would never be the same again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my friend Incultus for all of her help during the creation process.

Jari Mäenpää was a guitar teacher who lived alone in a small apartment in Helsinki. He was a quiet and an introvert young man. He wasn't famous with his social skills but he still wanted to be a teacher. And he became a very good one. His students adored him even though he was shy and not a very talkative type.

He never had many friends as far as he could remember. He always got sad about it when he was a child but in his teen years he discovered something that made him forget about his loneliness. Music it was. To him, music sounded like some sort of magic. He was spellbound to metal the day he heard it. He lost himself within the melodies. He kept listening to them for hours over and over again. Soon after his discovery of metal music, he wanted to play these magical melodies. He wanted a guitar and his parents bought him one as a birthday gift for his 14th birthday.He bought a lot of instructional books and videos and dived into the mystical world of the music. He felt really connected to the guitar. He was a shy boy and he could express his feelings through music. He practiced hours and hours until his fingers bleed. He was a fast learner. Within a year he could play anything fast and complex.

He jammed with his best friend every day but when his friend asked him if he wanted to be in a band, Jari got scared. He never thought he could play in front of so many people. He didn't want to be on the stage. He didn't want to be under the spot lights. He just wanted to make music for himself and express himself in the only way he could.

It didn't matter if anyone hear it or not. It was his way of therapy and relaxation. Music made him happy. But he was aware of the fact that he didn't want anything else as a job. Music was his life. That's how he decided to be a teacher. He went to the music academy after his graduation from high school. He was the best student in the academy. No one could play as fast as and as precise as he did. He always got the highest scores and graduated as an high honor student. Following his graduation, he found a lot of students who wanted to take lesson from him. His reputation was far beyond his guess. Soon, he started to make some good deal of money. But he kept his small apartment and kept living his simple and peaceful life until the darkness came back to his life again. All of his favorite bands strangely split up and their members disappeared. Something was going on but he didn't knew what it was. He tried to focus on his simple life and teaching again. But it was no good. Curiosity took over him.

He lost his motivation about lessons. Even though becoming a guitar teacher was his dream, now he didn't enjoy it as much as he used to. Most of his students didn't have great talent for music. He always thought talent wasn't the most important factor in learning how to play an instrument. He always believed determination and practice were the most important steps. However, teaching to someone who can make a difference, someone with talent, could be more fun.

Luckily, not all his students were the same. One of them was the most talented person he had ever seen. He could be a guitar player even better than Jari. And Jari enjoyed to teach him more than the rest of his students. Teemu Mäntysaari was a 17-year-old high school student who wanted to be a professional musician. He was preparing for the entrance exam of music academy and Jari was helping him. Since they were both very shy, they never talked much about anything but sometimes music. Their influences were mostly the same. But as the months passed, they somehow got closer and became kind of friends. They would hung out after the lessons and discuss about music and their favorite bands. One day while talking about their favorite bands, Jari asked him if he also felt something strange about all the bands splitting up so suddenly. Teemu noded his head approving. They talked about it for awhile and then Teemu said it was getting late and he had to leave. Jari was left alone within his thoughts. He could feel that he was surrounded by a strange form of darkness ,darker than the night, deep in his heart. He sit by the window and watch the starry night. He always loved watching stars and thinking about the universe. For a moment he forgot the darkness he felt and lost himself in the beauty of the night. As he watched the sky with a smile on his face like a child, a star fell from the sky. He closed his eyes and made a wish as he did when he was a child. And his wish was to knew what was going on and to stop the darkness growing around him. There was no use of sitting and thinking anymore. He felt really tired and decided to go to bed. He didn't linger and went to his bedroom. After brushing his teeth, he wore his pajamas and slip into the bed.

A couple of hours later he woke up to a very bright light coming from his living room. He felt a fear was growing inside of him but he was also curious and wanted see what it was. He got up from the bed without making a noise and walked silently with small steps to his living room. He peered from the door. He didn't know what he expected to see but he certainly didn't expect to see this. His favorite guitar, a Flying V, was flying and glowing in the middle of his living room. He didn't know what to do. He was frozen. His jaw was dropped a little and his eyes were wide open. After a couple of minutes, he could manage to make a "Wow!" sound. All the fear he felt faded away and he felt curious again. What kind of a power could make this he didn't know, and he never believed those kind of powers, but he wanted to touch his guitar and look it closely. Before doing it, he walked around his guitar in a circle with inquiring eyes. He looked at it from every angle. Finally he extended his arms and hold his guitar. And all the light suddenly went out. It wasn't glowing anymore and apparently it wasn't flying either. Another wave of curiosity took over him. He sat with his guitar in his lap. He played it and it sounded normal. He turned it over and it still looked the same. He played with the buttons and again nothing happened. He wondered if he dreamed all of this. Why the hell his guitar was glowing and flying? The real question was how the hell it could happen. Was it a dream? Was he now walking in his sleep? That could be possible. He walked in his sleep when he was a child. "It didn't happen in years but it could happen again." he thought. He decided to go back to sleep. His head was full of questions but he managed to sleep.

When he woke up in the morning, the first thing to came to his mind was his Flying V. He got up from the bed so quickly that he felt dizzy and ran into his living room. But his guitar was lying on the couch as he left it last night. Now he was sure that it was a dream. There was no magic in the real world. He learned this hard way. After stretching his arms he went to bedroom and wash his face with cold water. Then he had his breakfast and decided to went for a walk. Fresh air and nature always helped him clear his mind and to relax. He didn't lose any time and leave his apartment as quick as he could. He had a lesson in two hours and he wanted to walk at least an hour before he came back to his place. He felt happy as he ran. He thought about neither the flying guitar nor the darkness he felt. He just enjoyed the good weather which was a rare thing in Helsinki. He came back to his apartment with a big smile on his face. He really felt happy. He took a quick shower and as he dressed, his doorbell rang. He put on his t-shirt and opened the door. He welcomed his student with a wide smile and his student looked shocked. Jari giggled silently as his student went in. His students never saw him welcoming them so warmly. His student kept looking at him with a weird expression on his face. He probably thought either Jari lost his mind or he was dying. This idea entertained Jari even more.

The time went so fast. Now he was waiting for his last student of the day, Teemu. The exam day was getting closer and Teemu wanted to make lessons every day. Jari was happy to work with Teemu. He was already a great guitar player. He really enjoyed jamming with him every day. But there was only one month to the exam. After it, he knew he couldn't see him as often as he did now. And for some unknown reason that broke his heart. Maybe he was lonelier than he thought. The ringing of the bell brought him back to the real world from his inner world. There was no trace of his previous joy on his face. He was same old Jari again. He welcomed Teemu as he always did. But Teemu seemed happier and more excited than usual.

As soon as Jari opened the door, Teemu said with a clearly excited voice "You won't believe what happened!". Not letting Jari ask what happened he kept talking "I am in a band! Can you believe it?! I finally made it! It's just a cover band for now but we all want to play our own songs! Maybe we can even get a record deal from a big label! I am so excited!". He kept talking but Jari gave up on listening. He had his own thing in his mind. But he nodded his head in an approving manner once in awhile as Teemu spoke. And finally when he was finished, Jari congratulated him and said he wasn't suprized to hear he finally had a band and he was a great guitar player. Teemu's face shone with a wide smile as Jari said he was a great guitar player. These words clearly made him happier than ever. During the whole lesson Teemu kept his smile on his face.

As they finished the lesson, "I have to go. I am getting late to my best friend's birthday party. See you tomorrow!" said Teemu with the same joy. And soon Jari was alone in his apartment. He played his guitar for awhile but all of a sudden he felt extremely tired. He went to bed even before having dinner. He fell asleep right away.


	2. Chapter 2

Jari was awakened by flash of a strong light. He covered his eyes with his arm. The strong light dimmed slowly and when he could open his eyes again, he saw his guitar was floating in the air. He thought he was dreaming again even though everything seemed too real. He slowly got up from the bed and stood on his feet for a while, not knowing what to do. First, he pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Then he walked towards his guitar with slow and cautious steps. Strangely, he didn't feel scared. There was something comforting about the light coming from his guitar. He felt an urge to touch it. He wanted to feel the light in his soul. He took the last step and held his guitar in his hands. The light didn't fade away this time. All the fears and insecurities Jari felt for years vanished. He felt nothing but a great tranquility. He closed his eyes and his fingers started moving on the frets. Soon, he gave up on thinking and he let the music flow through his body. If anyone saw him in this state, they would thought that he was in a deep trance. 

His mind slowly took control of his body after God knows how long. It could be ten minutes or ten hours, he couldn't say. As he opened his eyes, he realized he was also floating in the air. He was shocked and he expected to fall to the ground immediately but he didn't. He slowly landed on his feet and his guitar stopped glowing. He touched every spot on the guitar but he couldn't manage to bring the light back. He even tried playing but again nothing happened. He put his guitar next to the others he had. He looked at the clock and it was one a.m. meaning that the supernatural experience he had lasted only fifteen minutes. There was plenty of time until the morning so he went back to bed and sleep came easily. That night he had the best sleep of his life. 

When he woke up in the morning, he felt great joy and energy. He sang in the shower, normally he never would. He ate a huge breakfast; normally he never had an appetite and ate just barely enough to survive but only by forcing himself. As he opened the window, the breeze carried some sweet scent into his living room. He smelled the warm summer air. This put a wide charming smile on his beautiful face. The weather was nice, the birds were chirping and Jari was finally happy. But the knock on the door brought him back to the reality. It was his free day, besides his lesson with Teemu, but it was too early for Teemu to come. Their lesson was in the evening. He went to the door and opened it. He had an unexpected visitor, a long forgotten friend, who he hadn't seen in years. Jari was surprised to see how his old best friend didn't change a bit. After ten years he still looked the same. 

Kai moved to Helsinki from his hometown Vaasa when he was eighteen. He was a great drummer and he played drums in so many bands throughout the years. And Jari's big brother was in one of the bands he played. Kai and Jari's brother were close friends and Kai spent a lot of time in their house. For a long time Jari and Kai couldn't meet since Jari's brother didn’t like his little brother and never wanted to see him around his room. But one day while his brother was sleeping, Jari saw Kai in the living room sitting on his own. Jari sat next to Kai but he didn't say anything. He had never been good at starting a conversation. But Kai was a talkative type. He said "Your name is Jari, right?" and Jari shyly nodded his head. And Kai went on "Are you also interested in music?". With this question Kai brought up a subject Jari could speak for ages. As they spoke, they found that they had so much in common. From that day on, he started to go to Jari’s family’s house to hang out with him. Even though Jari was four years younger than him, Kai loved to hang out with Jari. They became best friends. Soon after, they started to jam together. They both loved to play together. One day Kai asked "Wanna be in a band? You are the most amazing guitar player I've ever seen even though you are only sixteen.". Even though Jari didn't accept his offer, their friendship was unharmed.

They spent most of the next two years together. On Jari's 18th birthday Kai said "I know it's not a good time to say this but I am moving back to Vaasa. And I'm leaving tomorrow. It happened so fast. I decided to go just today. I hope I didn't ruin your birthday.".Jari didn't say anything but Kai definitely ruined his birthday. He was his only friend and he was saying that he was moving to another city. Jari was devastated. But he managed to say "Good for you. You always say that you miss Vaasa."

And after that day, he never saw Kai again until that very moment. They talked on the phone at the beginning but the frequency of the calls declined and finally ended after a while. But standing there in that moment, they both felt like they didn't spend 10 years apart. Kai hugged Jari tightly like he used to. After releasing him, with a happy and energetic voice he said "Won't you invite me in?" and without waiting for an answer, he pushed Jari and walked in with a big smile on his face. Jari followed and sat across him. They sat silently for a bit while Jari was following the pattern on the carpet with his foot. However, Kai was watching him with curious eyes and he became the first one to break the silence. "So, I heard that you became a very good teacher and you are kind of famous now." said Kai trying to win his old best friend's heart again. Jari didn't make a sound but this didn't stop Kai. He tried to keep on talking. "We got a lot to catch up, man. You better bring your sad ass next to me and start talking. I am curious about your life and what you did after we stopped talking." said Kai trying to keep his voice cheerful. He caught a small smile on Jari's face. Kai continued "I can see you smile. I know you very well, bastard. Come and sit next to me."

Jari looked at his friend with a grin and with a clearly amused voice he said, "Yeah, you do. I can never say no to old farts like you." while throwing himself to the couch just like Kai did previously. And he started to tell his life after their connection was lost. He started with the last year of the music academy and continued with his life after the academy and how monotonous his life was for years. He told him his old girlfriend who broke his heart so badly. He told him every stupid detail he could think of. Then he started to ask questions about his friend's life. He knew he was now a famous drummer. He wanted to know what else was going on. They both felt like Kai never left Helsinki. They talked for hours and hours.

When they both got hungry it was around seven p.m. They couldn't believe how long they talked and they both laughed about their stupidity. Kai suggested going out for dinner and Jari agreed happily even though he didn't like to eat. They went to their old favorite restaurant and ate some steak. Later, they decided to go to a bar and have a couple of beers. Their "a couple of" beers were more like six to seven beers, some vodka, well a lot of vodka, and whatever else they could find. Any alcoholic beverage was fine with them as long as it helped them to get drunk as fast as possible. 

After hours of partying and drinking, Jari was too drunk to stand on his feet. Kai helped him walk and they took a cab to Jari's apartment. Kai again helped him to climb the stairs. He searched for his keys but couldn't find them. He giggled after a hiccup. Kai searched Jari's pocket and find the keys in his jacket's left pocket and opened the door. He helped, basically carried, Jari to his bed and left the apartment. 

When Jari woke up with an unbearable headache, he tried to recall what happened last night. The last thing he could remember was drinking a couple of shots of tequila after almost a bottle of vodka. He couldn't remember how he came home. He got up in the bed and scratched his head while yawning. After rubbing his eyes and yawning once again, he headed to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and saw his bloodshot eyes. His hair was a blond mess. He stripped of his clothes and took a cold shower and started to feel like himself again.

As he prepared himself a breakfast, he felt like he was forgetting something. He felt restless. He forced himself to eat. Even when he was happy it was hard to eat and now while feeling restless, there was no way he could eat. When he entered to the living room, he remembered what he forgot. It was his lesson with Teemu last evening. He ran to his bedroom and looked up to his phone. But no unanswered call was there. Normally Teemu would call him if he couldn't make it to the lesson and he would definitely call Jari if he wouldn't open the door. He felt scared for Teemu and called him. It rang four times and Teemu finally answered with a cold voice.

Jari said, "Hey! It's good to hear your voice. Are you okay? I am really sorry that I forgot our lesson last night. We'll make an extra lesson tonight if you have time."

Teemu's answer froze his blood, "I didn't come to your place last night. I am done with guitar, Jari. I am not taking lessons anymore." and he hung up the phone. Jari was frozen in the middle of his room with a shocked expression. He tried to call Teemu again but apparently he turned his phone off. Jari was really nervous and worried. There was no way that Teemu would say such things. And he sounded like someone else. There was something different in him and Jari could feel it. He wanted to go to Teemu's house and check him out but there was no time. His student could come any minute.

Jari was impatient and restless for the rest of the day. Time wasn't passing fast enough. When his last student arrived, his impatience grew even bigger. As they were finished, Jari helped his student pack his stuff and he left just after his student. Teemu's house wasn't far away from Jari's and he arrived to Teemu's place after running for ten minutes. He climbed the stairs quickley and stopped at Teemu's door. He paused for a moment with his hand in the air, and after taking a deep breath he knocked the door with a shaking hand. He heard footsteps closing and finally Teemu opened the door. As Jari saw Teemu, he felt his heart was crushed in his chest. 

Teemu was looking at him with a cold and distant expression. For the first time, he wasn't smiling. Jari shivered as if he jumped into a lake in the middle of the winter. Something he couldn't define made him want to cry. But he managed to hold his tears back. After standing there for a while, Teemu asked with a bored voice even colder than his expression "What?"

"I came here to convince you not to stop guitar. You can be the best guitarist in history. You are even more talented than I am. You can't quit like that. Don't throw away everything with an abrupt decision." said Jari with a shaking voice.

Teemu answered with a threatening voice, "I don't wanna play it ever again. You understand? Now, go away. I don't wanna see you again. Stop bothering me." and he shut the door leaving Jari with tears in his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thank my betareader super_queer so much!

Jari dried the tears on his face and knocked the door once again. Teemu didn't open it but Jari kept on knocking. He finally said with a shaking voice "Open the door Teemu. We need to talk." as he rested his forehead on the door. Even though Teemu didn't give an answer, Jari kept on talking.

 

"I know you are there Teemu. I know you hear me. I know how important the guitar is for you. Do you remember the time you told me how it pulled you out of depression and suicidal thoughts? You told me it is the only thing to keep you alive. Music defined who you were. Do you remember?" he said desperately.

 

And he listened for a noise that would prove Teemu was listening but he heard nothing. He said once again "Please open it, Teemu." and stood there with tears in his beautiful blue eyes for another two minutes. When he could think straight again, he understood that there was no use trying to convince Teemu. He seemed very determined. And when he could move his body again, he went down the stairs slowly.

 

Before leaving the building, he managed to stop crying. He dried the tear drops on his face with the back of his hand. Cold rainy weather made him shiver when he opened the door and he wrapped his arms around himself. As he walked the streets with slow and small paces, he thought some another way to convince him. He couldn't give up on his student. He couldn't give up on Teemu. He was the only person he felt close to after he lost Kai. They weren't friends but Teemu was the closest thing he had to be a friend.

 

After a short walk, he arrived to his apartment. When he closed the door himself, he felt his knees weaken and unable to carry him any further. He fell on his knees and burst into tears. He didn't know what made him so sad. He couldn't understand why he was crying. Teemu was never an important part of his life. He felt somehow close to him but he never thought about him after the lessons. But there was something greater that connected him and Teemu for a purpose he couldn't understand back then.

______________

 

Teemu was sitting alone when he heard a knock on his door. He wasn't expecting anyone. When he opened the door he saw the person he didn't want to see the most. They looked at each other and finally Teemu broke the silence by asking "What?". He knew what Jari was going to say but he asked anyway. Jari started to talk like he finally found the words he was looking for. But his words didn't have any effect on Teemu. He expressed what he felt and shut the door.

 

However, he was still curious about what else Jari was going to do. So he decided to sit silently behind the door. He expected that Jari would leave. However, he didn't. He knocked the door again. Teemu didn't move out of fear of making noise. He again heard Jari's desperate voice telling him to open the door. And then Jari tried to convince him not to stop playing guitar. He never saw his guitar teacher like this. He wanted to open the door but his body didn't obey him. A single tear fell from his eye. Jari knocked on the door one more time then stopped, but Teemu listened to the fading sound of the Jari's footsteps. He waited until a deep silence shrouded the staircase. When he made sure Jari wasn't there anymore, he stood up and went to his living room. He tried to forget about his guitar teacher but he couldn't. His teacher's words haunted him.

 

He couldn't get Jari's words out of his head no matter how hard he tried. Eventually he found himself in the street trying to convince himself to apologize to his old teacher even before deciding to go and see him. His brain was screaming to stop his body but his heart was fighting with it. And his heart won the battle this time. Even Teemu himself noticed a change in himself. The darkness surrounding him seemed to weaken his thoughts and his legs took him to the apartment he knew very well. He knocked the door. Short after, Jari opened the door with red and swollen eyes. Teemu thought his teacher looked horrible and felt sorry for what he had done a couple hours ago. Jari was surprised to see Teemu. He wasn't expecting to see him again after the last incident.

 

"Come in." said Jari and opened the door for Teemu.

 

Jari slowly followed Teemu to the living room. They both sat in silence for a while. Finally Teemu broke the silence. "I came here to apologize to you. I was too harsh on you. You didn't deserve it."

 

And Jari answered with a disappointed and slightly angry voice, "I don't understand you. What are you trying to do? First you didn't want to talk to me when I came to you and now you are here. And you told me you are leaving your biggest passion in life just like that. I can't understand you." and shook his head in confusion.

 

"People change, Jari." said Teemu, again with a cold voice.

 

Jari managed keep his voice straight and said "How can you change so radically overnight? Music was your life. How could you stop the guitar? What happened?" And handing a guitar to Teemu he continued "Take it. Touch it and tell me it's not the only thing you’ve ever wanted. Tell me you don't want to touch it again."

 

Teemu took the guitar with a straight face and said "Jari, I thought I made myself clear about this. I don't want to play it ever again. Do you understand? I am here to apologize for my behavior, not to talk about guitar."

 

Jari wasn't ready to give up and he took his Flying V in his hands and started playing. "Don't tell me you don't like to feel the notes flowing through your body. Don't tell me you don't ever want to feel it again. You can fool anyone but not me, Teemu." He said with a determined voice.

 

Teemu didn't make a sound. He sat like he was tied up to the couch. As Jari kept playing, they felt the great tranquility that overtook Jari the other night and was now overtaking both of them. Jari closed his eyes and lost his sense of reality.

 

Jari came back to Earth with the voice of Teemu calling his name. When he tried to open his eyes, a strong light burned his retinas. He waited until his eyes got used to the bright light. Teemu looked at Jari's lap with scared eyes. And he finally looked at his lap at the source of the light, his Flying V. As they both watched the light with careful eyes, it slowly dimmed away. Jari closed his eyes and focused on the light and managed to bring it back this time unlike his previous experiences. With the sudden flash of the light Teemu covered his eyes with his arm. But Jari slowly opened his eyes and looked his shining guitar without even narrowing his eyes. He commanded his guitar to stop shining and the light suddenly disappeared. When the light disappeared, Teemu opened his eyes. He looked at Jari in shock and found him in a deep trance-like state.

Jari blinked a couple of times and said with a proud voice "Well, apparently I can control it now." and saw Teemu's shocked face. He knew he had to give an explanation, but first he asked "Are you okay?" watching Teemu carefully. Teemu nodded his head ‘yes’.

 

"I'll tell you everything from the start if you feel ready for it." said Jari. And Teemu again nodded but this time he looked more like himself. Jari continued speaking watching Teemu's reaction "I have a Flying V, Teemu.". He paused and waited for a sign.

 

After clearing his throat Teemu said "Yeah, I can see that."

 

Jari said, "No. You don't understand. I have a flying Flying V." and watch Teemu's face. His little joke which he thought would help to dispel the nervousness didn't create the effect he imagined and he moved on to the subject again cursing himself. He told Teemu about the night he was awakened by a strong light and seeing his guitar floating in the air and the same thing happening the following night. As he kept talking he remembered that they had a more important problem. He was angry to himself for forgetting it. He looked at Teemu with inquisitive eyes and asked with a panicked voice "How do you feel Teemu?"

 

"I am okay Jari but you sound worried." said Teemu feeling confused.

 

"Tell me how you feel about the guitar." said Jari.

 

Teemu anwered, " Oh, the guitar thing. All this light and the flying guitar thing made me forget about it. It was so strange, Jari. I wasn't me. It was like someone else was controlling my mind and body. I wanted to open the door when you were talking outside but I couldn't do it. My body didn't obey me. It took me a couple of hours until I could bring myself here. I fought with myself. It felt like I was surrounded by darkness and there was no way out. It controlled everything. It took everything I loved from me. It killed all the passion I have. It happened in the party the other night. I still don't know what it is. But that light shone from your guitar kind of enlightened my soul and crushed the darkness inside of me. If you ask me if I want to play guitar, hell yeah I do. Music is my life."

 

Jari got up suddenly and hugged Teemu tightly. "I am so happy to see you are finally back. We will find whatever the hell that thing is and fight it. I believe it is the same evil power that I felt for the last couple of months. We have to do something about it." said Jari with a determined voice.

 

"Jari can you release me? Please!?" said Teemu feeling his bones being crushed. Jari with a shy smile and red cheekbones left Teemu and apologized quietly.

 

Now it was time to plan what they were going to do. Jari wanted Teemu to think about every detail that may or may not have been suspicious looking in the party. Teemu forced himself to remember. However, it wasn't easy. He wished that he wasn't that drunk.

 

He thought about his entrance to his friend's house but everything seemed pretty normal. Then he found his friend, the birthday boy, and they drank a couple of beers together. After that his memories were blurry. He had never been good with alcohol and got easily drunk. He cursed himself but he kept pushing himself to find a clue. He could barely remember talking to two guys playing in a band. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't recall their names or their faces and what happened afterwards. Even though Jari told him to stop pushing himself so hard, he continued thinking about the party despite the headaches it gave him.

 

Jari told him to go home and get some sleep and continue later if he wants. Teemu said he was okay. Jari went to his bedroom to look for some painkiller for Teemu. By this time Teemu felt really sleepy and couldn't resist any longer and fell asleep on Jari's couch. Seeing Teemu on his couch sleeping Jari's face broke out in a dazzling, warm smile. He put a blanket on Teemu and went to the bed after watching him sleeping peacefully for a while.

 

A couple hours later, Teemu woke up and ran to Jari's room. He gently woke Jari up and "I know the names Jari! I remember them!" said with a smile and an excited voice.


	4. Chapter 4

Jari jumped out of his bed his eyes wide open.

Teemu continued, "I saw them in my dream! Can you believe it?! I remember them very well! There were two guys I talked to that night. I didn't know them. When I was sitting and drinking and minding my own business, they came and sat next to me. They both had long hair. One had light brown and the other had dark brown hair. They both played in the same band. The light brown haired one played violin and the other one was singer or something. They didn't notice me for a long time and talked about their own band for a while, then they spoke about one other guy and his band. They seemed like they were worshipping him. They would follow him even to death. But I hadn't heard of him before until they noticed me sitting next to them. We kind of start chatting and I told them about music academy and stuff. They threw strange looks one another and asked me if I heard of the guy they previously talked about. They said he was an amazing guitarist, the best. I was curious and the one with light brown hair handed me his iPod. I listened to one song and bam! It was like dark clouds covered my mind. I couldn't think. I wasn't me anymore. I couldn't fight with the darkn-”

Jari interrupted him, "Make your point. What were their names?"

"I was getting to the point." said Teemu with a disappointed voice and continued, "The one with the darker hair was named Mathias and the other was Olli."

Jari was surprised to hear those names. "I think I know them, but I don't understand. Where do they stand in all this weirdness?" he said to himself forgetting about Teemu.

"Really? Do you know them? But how?" asked Teemu feeling even more surprised than Jari.

"They are friends of a friend of mine. I saw them a couple of times. But you said they were talking about a guy that they seemed to worship. What about him? Do you remember his name? He must be the one controlling everything. Mathias and Olli weren't kind of guys that would take part in something like this. Please tell me you remember the name." Jari said, speaking hastily.

Teemu answered with an offended voice, "Of course I do. I was going to tell you if you didn't interrupt me." 

"Okay, okay. I am sorry. Just tell me the name." said Jari.

"Okay. They said his name was Alexi. And he also had a band, but I don't know anything else." said Teemu realizing how serious Jari was. 

Teemu's words put Jari in a shock. He stood still mouth agape. Teemu watched him with inquisitive eyes but he was afraid to ask why Jari looked so puzzled. Jari slowly pulled himself together and tried to explain everything to Teemu.

"I know him very well Teemu. If we want to deal with him we must be very, very careful. I know how dangerous he can be."

"How do you know him Jari? And what is he trying to do? I don't understand anything." asked Teemu in confusion.

"I think I have to explain it from the beginning. I met him at the music academy. We were in the same class. He was a great guitar player. He was really talented. We started to jam together and the frequency of these jam sessions kept increasing. We weren't friends really, but just two young men that enjoyed hanging out together. He was a great person if he didn't change so rapidly. As the days passed, I was becoming the star of the academy. All the professors were praising me. Everyone seemed to admire my skills. I didn't realize how competitive natured Alexi was. He didn't like to be second best. I didn't see what my success was doing to him until one day he exploded. He said he was going to come back stronger and he was going to be the best. That day I saw in his eyes that he would do anything to be the best. He was born to be worshipped. He found his strength in praise. He needed to be the best all the time. He left the academy and disappeared. From that day on I never saw him again or heard of him until now. Eight years of silence."

Teemu asked, "So what are we going to do?" 

Jari opened his mouth to tell his plan but his ringing phone stopped him. 

Teemu was watching him carefully. He didn't like the way Jari's face changed. Apparently there was some bad news. He felt nervous and scared. As soon as Jari hung up the phone Teemu asked "Is it bad news?"

Jari's face was sheet white, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. He answered with a calm voice. "Yeah. I talked to an old friend of mine who was also a good friend of Alexi. He said he heard Alexi talking about me the other day and today some strange looking guy asked some questions about me."

"So what are you planning to do? What do you think he'll do if he finds you?" said Teemu feeling like throwing up.

"I really don't know, Teemu. I have no idea. But I think I have to move somewhere else, so don't tell anyone. I need some time to figure out Alexi's plan. And I can't risk being caught." said Jari with a stern face.

Teemu shivered with fear of the unknown and said, "You can stay at my place if you want."

"Yeah, that would be great. The sooner I leave this place, the better I'll be." said Jari and went to his bedroom to pack his stuff. He was feeling sad and confused. He wasn't sure what to do in the future. But he was feeling something terrible was on the way.

As the meantime, Teemu wasn't aware of what he was getting involved in. The peril was far worse than he could ever imagine. But he was sure about helping Jari like he had helped him. His thoughts were interrupted by Jari. He had a small bag and his Flying V in its case and he made a gesture saying that he was ready to go. 

As they were walking to Teemu's house Jari asked, "How many of your friends know your address? Can we trust them?"

Teemu answered, "I moved here just two weeks ago. I told you that before. No one knows it, yet. I was planning to throw a party but a lot happened and I just couldn't. I think that's good.".

"That's very good Teemu. Better than good." said Jari with a comforted voice.

It didn't take long to arrive at Teemu's house. They entered and talked for a while about Teemu's upcoming exam. The hour was getting late and Jari was very tired. He asked where he was going to sleep. When Teemu went to prepare a bed for him, Jari realized this was a one bedroom apartment. He went to bedroom and saw Teemu changing the sheets. 

"You don't have to change them. I don't mind it. I realized your apartment has only one bedroom. You don't have to leave your bed and sleep on the couch. There is enough room for both of us. It's a pretty big bed. You can also sleep in your own bed." said Jari trying not to sound too weird.

Teemu looked at him with an undefinable expression. He said a simple "Okay." and continued placing the new sheets. 

Jari went back to the living room to get his bag. And when he returned, Teemu was finished with the bed. Jari took his clothes off and wore his pajamas. Teemu did the same and before getting into the bed Jari made a wall out of pillows between them and they both went to bed.

After lying in bed for half an hour, Teemu was feeling uncomfortable while Jari seemed okay. Finally Teemu broke the silence and said, "This is so weird."

"A little bit. Just turn around and try not to come too close to me while you are asleep." answered Jari with a sleepy voice.

Teemu tried to do as Jari said. But it was no good. It sounded like Jari was in deep sleep while Teemu was feeling all awkward. However, it didn't take long for Teemu to fall asleep after everything he had been through that day.

When Jari woke up in the morning he saw a head of brown hair splayed on his chest and an arm was put around him. He sat in shock for a little while and tried to get up saying "What the fuck?!"

Teemu jumped out of the bed and his cheekbones turned red. He said "I am really sorry. I can't sleep without my teddy bear and last night I was ashamed of hugging it in front of you and I think you became my teddy bear last night. I am so sorry."

Teemu's apology was interrupted by Jari's laughter and Teemu felt even more embarrassed. Now his whole face was burning. Jari seemed to enjoy Teemu’s great embarrassment. 

He spoke hardly trying to stop his laughter, "Don't worry, man. It's...ok. I mean...such things...may...happen. You...don't have...to feel...embarrassed." and burst into laughter again. 

Teemu was looking at his feet and trying to forget what he did but Jari's laughter was driving him crazy. He ran to the bathroom and locked the door. Jari followed him and knocked the door. "Apparently, he managed to stop laughing." thought Teemu. 

And Jari said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed at you, but all the things going on lately getting on my nerves. I am really sorry. I won't ever laugh at your teddy bear. Open the door and get your ass back here. You can't stay in the bathroom for the rest of your life."

"That's exactly my plan. Waiting here until I die." yelled Teemu.

"Come on Teemu. I am sure you'll find certain things among my habits that are funny. I promise I won't ever laugh at your teddy bear." said Jari. He heard the key turn in the lock. 

Teemu's face was still red and he couldn't look at Jari's face directly. At breakfast both of them didn't say a word. And afterwards they were both busy with their own business. After noon, Jari asked Teemu if he wanted to have a lesson and Teemu was totally in. His embarrassment seemed to vanish until it was again time to go to bed.

This time he took his teddy bear to keep him away from an incident similar to the one that happened last night. It kept him away from trouble and Jari never mentioned anything about it.

The following two months passed without any 'accidents'. Their days were mostly passed with research about their enemies. They gathered a lot of information about them. Between these research sessions they had lessons. Teemu was becoming a guitar player that was almost as good as Jari. 

One day Jari asked, "Are you with me in this? You've been so far but now you are aware of what kind of a danger we are heading into. Are you still in?"

"Of course! Now what is our plan?" asked Teemu.

Jari began, "Okay. First of all we need to hide our true identities." and he saw Teemu rolling his eyes but he continued, "We can't risk being found so easily. If they don't know who we are it will take some time to figure out our real identities. And of course we'll need masks to hide our faces and probably pseudo names. And guns."

Teemu asked with scared eyes, "Do we really need them?"

"Of course we'll do. You saw how dangerous they can be during our research. We need to fight with them." answered Jari.

Teemu seemed to be convinced and asked "So where do we find the guns?"

"We are lucky about it. I have a friend who can arrange some guns for us. But first we need costumes. I have a couple of things in my mind." said Jari with a grin.

"Please don't tell me it includes leather, Jari." said Teemu with a disgusted face.

"Of course they are gonna be leather. I actually already ordered them. They are about to be finished." he said with a wide smile. 

Teemu requested, "At least describe my costume so I'll ready for it."

Jari started, "Okay. Our costumes are pretty similar actually. We both have tight leather pants and stretchy tops. Mine has the letter ‘J’ on it and yours has a letter ‘M’ written on the chest. And my belt has a small dragon attached to it and yours has a small manta ray."

"A manta ray?! Why?!" yelled Teemu.

Jari kept talking, "Don't you remember the day your friend, the one who was also my student, called you manta ray? He later told me the story about the aquarium where a manta ray fell on your head out of nowhere. And I thought your name shall be Manta Boy and you shall wear a Manta Ray mask. I also wanted to put it on your belt. Now keep your mouth shut and let me finish. We'll both wear tall black leather boots. And we'll also have cloaks! Isn't it cool?!"

Teemu didn't answer and a couple days later Jari came home with two big bags. He threw one to Teemu who was sitting in his room and told him to try it on. Jari immediately took his clothes off and wore his costume. 

When Teemu entered to the living room he saw Jari in his costume standing in front of a big fan with his cloak and his Flying V on his back. He said with a serious voice, "Are you ready for some adventure?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking this long to write the new chapter. I didn't have time to write. I hope you'll like it!

Teemu walked forward and stood next to Jari. They both looked like super heroes. They stood in the dim light, their cloaks flying in the air with the power of the fan. Teemu was the first one to break the silence.

 

"I don't have a fan. When did you buy one?"

 

Jari pretended like he didn't hear Teemu.

 

After a short while, Teemu said shyly, "Jari, these pants are squeezing my balls."

 

Jari's high spirit was brought down. He looked at Teemu with disappointed eyes and imitated a surprised voice, "Do you have balls!?"

 

Teemu felt embarrassed but the pain was overshadowing the embarrassment and he said again with a really low voice, "It really hurts Jari."

 

Jari walked to the bedroom frowning and probably swearing silently. Teemu tried to walk but the pain seemed to increase. He yelled again and the pain and shame could be heard in his voice "I was serious Jari. Please help!"

 

Jari came back frowning and this time swearing louder. He helped Teemu to take of his pants and went back to the bedroom. Teemu's face was burning so red he wanted to be swallowed by the earth and never see Jari's face again.

 

He walked to the bedroom and said apologetically "I didn't want to ruin your mood. I am sorry."

 

Jari looked at him trying to look furious and said "But you did!"

 

Teemu feeling even more embarrassed said, "But I said I am sorry."

 

"Okay, okay. I know you are sorry." said Jari.

 

"So if we are okay now, tell me our next move." said Teemu with a great curiosity in his voice.

 

"We must learn how to use guns. We'll need them. This will take time but we must be quick." said Jari feeling desperate.

 

Another two months passed while they were mastering how to use their guns, Jari also learned how to use the powers of his Flying V. And they were finally ready for an encounter with their enemies.

 

"We can't attack directly on Alexi. We need to start easy and see how we do." said Jari.

 

Teemu couldn't agree more. He was scared of this business from the beginning but he didn't want to leave Jari alone. That was the only thing keeping his courage alive.

 

Before they made a move they traced Turisas. They had to decide where they were going to face them.

 

They saw Turisas had a show in three days in Helsinki. They could encounter Olli and Mathias after the show.

 

Since they had time, Teemu went to a tailor and made the necessary adjustments to his pants.

 

Finally the big day came, they were ready both physically and mentally. They decided to observe Mathias and Olli. They went to the show.

 

Turisas was very impressive on the stage. And Mathias had a charisma that made everyone obey him. Jari understood clearly why Alexi chose Mathias.

 

Teemu was feeling restless. He was nervous. He hardly paid attention to the circus around him. He didn't even notice the shouting guy with red and black face paint who was passing by him.

 

He was watching Jari's face but Jari didn't notice him. He seemed troubled with his thoughts. Teemu felt even more nervous.

 

He didn't want the show to come to an end but they saluted the audience and left the stage.

 

As soon as they left the stage, Jari and Teemu headed to Teemu's house which was close to the venue. They changed their clothes in a great hurry and went back to the front of the venue. They were hiding and watching.

 

Soon after, the band was standing in front of the venue surrounded by fans. After signing a million things and after million of photos were taken, the band managed to escape.

 

They were slowly walking to the parking lot. They seemed like they were debating on some weird subject. When they finally arrived next to Mathias' car, other guys got in the van and left Olli and Mathias alone debating.

 

Jari made a gesture to Teemu saying that they should make their move. They started to run and stopped right across from Mathias and Olli.

 

"More fans." said Olli with a tired voice.

 

Mathias just stared and didn't say a word.

 

"We are not fans." said Jari with a threatening voice and continued "In the name of true metal, we will punish you.”

 

Teemu said with an excited voice "OH. MY. GOD! Are you also a fan of Sailor Moon? She is sooo cute. I like-"

 

Mathias interrupted him and said "Whatever. I am too tired for this shit." and made a move to get in his car while Jari was throwing deadly stares at Teemu, but a voice stopped Mathias.

 

"Don't move!" said the strong voice and two men, one in a bee costume and the other in a moose costume, appeared.

 

"How much did we drink Olli?" asked Mathias.

 

"I never thought I would say this, but I think we drank too much, Mathias." answered Olli.

 

As the bee and the moose came closer, Jari pulled his gun and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

 

The man in bee costume answered, "I am The Beast and my friend calls himself The Moosie."

 

Mathias trying to suppress his urge to laugh said, "The Beast and The Moosie! Moosie? Really?" turning to Jari and Teemu he asked, "Who you are? The Princess and her maid?"

 

Jari seemed to be angry and Teemu asked, "Who is the princess and who is the maid?"

 

Jari rolled his eyes and poked Teemu with his elbow. Teemu made an irked sound but he knew he deserved it.

 

On the other side Mathias and Olli were laughing hard. And The Beast said, "Will you stop discussing girls? We have a job to do here."

 

Jari felt really angry. He regretted choosing Teemu as his partner. And he shouted, "We also have business with these guys."

 

The man in the moose costume spoke, "We'll finish it quick. Then you can do whatever you want to do. Well, there won't be any other options for you other than running away, if you don't want to be imprisoned on a murder charge."

 

Teemu looked scared. He looked at Jari's grim face. His face made Teemu shiver. He never thought things would go this far. Jari seemed to be ready to face any kind of danger.

 

There was a heavy silence in the air. Six men were standing in a parking lot. No one was moving. Everyone was waiting for a move from the others. Teemu felt his heart racing in his chest.

 

The Beast was the first one to speak, "Let's do this, girls. I have other things to do."

 

He pulled his gun on Mathias directing it to his face with a twisted grin. He continued, "Say your last prayer."

 

Jari pulled his gun on the man holding the gun. "Leave him.” he said with a strong voice.

 

The Beast didn't seem to hear him. He was watching Mathias with careful eyes.

 

Jari repeated, "I said leave him alone."

 

This time he turned and pointed his gun towards Jari's face. Teemu panicked and pulled his gun on The Beast.

 

"If you hurt him, I'll shoot you." he said with an unexpectedly strong voice.

 

The Moosie was trying to calm everyone, "Guys! Just relax. No need for shooting. We are not here to fight with you. We are after these guys." pointing the direction where Olli and Mathias stood a minute ago.

 

"Shit, they're gone. We can't catch them anymore. Alexi will give them an army." said The Beast. Turning to Teemu he said, "It's all your and your boyfriend's fault, little princess."

 

"So I was the princess." said Teemu with a happy voice. He noticed what he said when he saw the look on other's face. The Moosie was laughing silently as Teemu's face started burning red.

 

Jari asked, "Did you say Alexi? What do you know about him?"

 

"Nothing concerning you. You ruined our mission tonight. I hope we won't see you again." said The Beast.

 

He put his gun back in its case and they disappeared into the darkness.

 

Jari and Teemu were standing alone in the parking lot.

 

Jari said, "We should better go. I am sure Mathias and Olli will be back with Alexi’s other men."

 

They started to walk slowly to Teemu's house. Teemu was scared that Jari would talk about all the stupid things he had done tonight. But Jari didn't say a word.Teemu felt nervous but he managed to keep his mouth shut. He opened the door and they walked to the living room. Jari sat on the couch and Teemu sat across from him. The silence was stressful.

 

Teemu was the first one to break the silence, "Won't you say anything?"

 

Jari finally looked at him and said, "What do you want me to say?"

 

"I don't know." said Teemu softly.

 

"I shouldn't have brought you into this. You are not ready. What was all that you said tonight? You want to hear this, right?" said with a tired voice.

 

Teemu's face was burning red again. He was happy that he still had his mask on his face so Jari couldn't see it. "I am really sorry. I can't control what I say when I am nervous. Those guys, the Beast and The Moosie, made me really nervous. Who the hell are they?"

 

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. The Beast seems so familiar. And they know about Alexi." said Jari.

 

"Do you think they are also in a business like ours?" asked Teemu. "I don't know. But I know that we'll see them again. Sooner than I’d like." answered Jari.

 

They sat silently for a while and then Jari headed to the bedroom to take off his costume and went to bed afterwards.

 

Teemu sat in the living room for some more time thinking all the stupid things he said. Then he went to the bedroom silently and put on his pajamas. He decided to sleep on the couch to avoid any further embarrassment that night.


	6. Chapter 6

Teemu woke up to a sound he couldn't identify. It was still dark. He scanned the room with sleepy eyes and he saw a dark figure in a robe standing in front of the window, watching Teemu. He was scared to move. He even tried to hold his breath but the figure noticed him and started moving towards him. The figure came really close and but it was standing still. It didn't make a move or a sound. Teemu wanted to call Jari but then he thought this could be related to Alexi and he decided to encounter with this shadow by himself.

Teemu took a deep breath and asked with a shaking voice, "Who are you?"

"I am a wizard." answered a deep voice.

"What?!" asked Teemu, thinking he was dreaming.

But laughter reminded him that he was awake. It was Jari laughing.

The dark figure threw his hood back and Teemu finally managed to see the face. It was Jari who scared him.

Jari could manage to say between fits of laughter, "You should've seen your face. You seemed like you just shit your pants. I couldn't hold my laughter."

"I thought it was one of the Alexi's tricks! You scared the shit out of me!" said Teemu.

Jari was still trying to suppress his urge to laugh but he wasn't successful. He turned the light on. When Teemu saw Jari's robe, he burst into laughter as well.

Jari was wearing a pink bathrobe with flower patterns.

Teemu asked while still laughing, "Where did you find this?"

"I found it in the bathroom. I thought it was yours." said Jari with a grin.

"No, it's not. I don't have a pink bathrobe." said Teemu.

"I bought it yesterday. This one was the cheapest. I have to be more careful about my money since I don't work anymore." said Jari. And he continued, "It's good that you woke up. I couldn't sleep and I am getting bored. Do you want to jam?"

"What hour is it? We don't want to wake the neighbors up.", said Teemu cautiously.

"Don't worry. We won't wake them." said Jari.

Jari took his guitar and sat on the couch. Teemu got up to get his guitar. He brought one of his smaller amps from his bedroom. While he was setting up, he heard Jari playing a beautiful melody. It wasn't something he heard before.

He asked with an excited voice, "Is this something you wrote?"

Jari nodded shyly. His cheekbones were turning red.

"Well, this is surprising. Why is he blushing?" thought Teemu.

"That sounds great! It sounds magical. I don't even know how to define it. When did you write it?" continued Teemu not letting himself ask why Jari was blushing.

"A couple years ago. I write all the time." said Jari.

And he started to play familiar melodies. And Teemu joined him. Teemu didn't know how long they jammed but the sun was rising and sending red beams into the room.

Jari stretched his arms yawning said, "I'll go for a morning run. I need some fresh air."

And he went to the bedroom to put on some proper clothes. He took off his pink bathrobe and wore a Metallica t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

He went out as quickly as he could. Teemu was left alone in the living room. He looked around and all the mess in his living room was driving him crazy. He decided he had to do some cleaning but first he decided to have breakfast.

He went to the kitchen but his fridge was empty. Since Jari moved in, he was tired of buying food. Jari was eating a lot more than he would guess. And yet he was still skinny.

He changed his clothes and went shopping. Luckily there was a supermarket close by. He bought some food and went back home.

He looked at the mess in the living room as soon as he left the bags to the kitchen. He learned that Jari hated cleaning up even though his house was always clean when Teemu went. Since Jari didn't clean up, Teemu always ended up cleaning.

He sighed and went to bedroom to change his clothes.

Jari was walking at a fast pace for more than half an hour when he arrived to the forest. He always loved running in the forest. Being in a forest was peaceful. He felt at home with all the squirrels running around and other small creatures he couldn't see.

  
He kept his fast pace and soon he was deep in the forest. There was no one to be seen. He decided to increase his speed, his muscles were burning but it felt good. He loved this feeling. He ran until he was out of breath. He sat in some moss and caught his breath. He started to think about music. Maybe it was finally time to release his own music. He was feeling in this way since Kai was back. Maybe he should ask him if he wants to play with him. Teemu would definitely want to be in Jari's band. And he could find a bass player.

He decided to text Kai. "Hey. How do you do?"

His phone beeped right away. "I am bored. Wanna meet this afternoon?"

"That'd be great. I have something to ask you." replied Jari.

"Okay. See you at 4pm at the cafe close to your house." wrote Kai.

Jari was covered in sweat and felt cold with the blowing wind. He again started to walk at a fast pace. He started to run and didn't stop until he was in front of Teemu's door. Apparently Teemu was listening to music at a high volume. He searched for his key and opened the door. He heard Teemu singing and walked to the living room.

Teemu was singing Welcome to the Jungle and dancing like Axl Rose with a mop in his hand shaking his booty. He didn't hear Jari come. His back was turned to the door of the living room. Jari was biting his lips to hold his laughter. But the scene was really amusing.

Teemu turned around and his eyes meet Jari's. He just froze. He wasn't expecting Jari to be back this early. When he saw Jari biting his lips to hold his laughter back, the redness started to increase on his cheeks. And Jari finally broke and started to laugh. He was having a hard time breathing. Tears were coming from his eyes and he was holding his stomach.

Teemu felt embarrased but he also laughed at the absurdity of the moment.

Jari finally managed to calm down and he said, "Sorry for laughing. I just couldn't control myself."

Teemu said with a smile on his face, "It's okay."

Jari continued, "Wanna have breakfast? I am really hungry." Then he smelled his armpit and said, "I better take a shower first."

Teemu nodded and he headed to the kitchen when Jari made his way to the bathroom. Teemu pulled a chair up and sat down. He was surprised that he didn't lock himself to bathroom after embarrassing himself once again. And he started thinking about last night.

As he was buried in his thoughts, he heard Jari's footsteps.

Jari took a bowl and the cereal box. He handed a bowl to Teemu and opened to fridge to get the milk.

He sat across of Teemu.

Teemu asked, "What are your plans for today?"

"I'll practice till 3pm and then get ready to meet a very old friend."

Teemu asked curiously, "Is this friend someone I know?"

"Yeah, probably."

Jari didn't seem like he wanted to give details. Teemu wondered who this old friend was. After spending all these months with Jari, almost 24 hours together every day, he felt disappointed. He thought he was Jari's best friend. What was all this secrecy about? But he couldn't ask more about the subject. And when was the last time Jari got ready to meet someone?

A great curiosity took over Teemu. He decided to follow Jari and see his friend.

Jari was the first one to leave the kitchen. He left the bowl to the counter and went back to the living room. Teemu heard him playing. He decided to join him.

They jammed for a while and Jari decided to watch his favorite show ,The Bold and The Beautiful.

Teemu checked the time and saw that it was almost 3:15pm. Apparently Jari noticed it, too. He got up and went to change his clothes.

Teemu pretended not to notice. He seemed busy with his laptop. He smelled the heavy scent of Jari's cologne. What was all this preparation for? If it's a lady friend, which it seemed like it was, Teemu shouldn't be following but he was curious why Jari was acting suspicious. He was usually an open book.

Teemu left the apartment after Jari. He was following him carefully. The chase didn't last long. Jari entered a the cafe at the end of the street. Teemu walked towards the cafe cautiously. He saw Jari sitting with two other men at one of the tables in the garden of the cafe. The men seemed familiar. He decided to go closer and listen to them. He was lucky that the garden was surrounded with bushes and they sat by the edge.

Teemu hid behind the bushes. When he looked at the guys again, his mouth gaped in surprise. One of them was Kai Hahto and the other one was Jukka Koskinen. What was Jari doing with them? He tried to hear what they were saying.

"Really? I can't believe you finally decided to put a band together." said a voice. "You don't even need to ask it. Of course I'll play in your band. And I think Jukka would like to join as well."

Teemu kept listening but he didn't hear any words from them. He felt a hand touching his shoulder.

"Well, well. Who do we have here? Did you follow your boyfriend?" asked Jukka with a wide smile. Then he turned to the direction of table and said "Now that your girlfriend is also here we can talk about the business, right?"

Teemu slowly stood up to his feet. Jukka was getting ready to tease him more but Kai stopped him, "Stop teasing the kid, man. He was just curious." and turning to Teemu he said, "Come and sit with us kid."

Teemu couldn't believe Kai invited him. He looked at Jari to get approval and Jari seemed like he didn't care. So he walked to the table and pulled up a chair.

"So you are getting a band, huh?" asked Teemu.

"Yeah. I think it's finally time." said Jari.

"You could've told me though." said Teemu with an offended voice.

"I planned to tell you tonight after talking to Kai and Jukka. I thought you'd be the second guitarist in the band."

Jukka interrupted, "You can discuss it later girls." and to Jari, "So when can we hear your material? I believe in what Kai said about you and your music. If Kai's in I'm also in." After a short pause he continued, "So did you think a name for the band?"

"I'll send you some songs tonight. And yes. I have a name for the band. The name represents the music perfectly. It will give you an idea what we'll be playing." said Jari.

"So what's the name you thought of?" asked Teemu eagerly.

"Wintersun."


End file.
